Amplifier connected to and identifying plurality of content reproducing devices with respective audio speakers

• US 7,818,482 B2
• Filed: 05/27/2005
• Issued: 10/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ONKYO Corporation (Onkyo Home Entertainment Corp.)
• Original Assignee: ONKYO Corporation (Onkyo Home Entertainment Corp.)
• Inventors: Handa, Kenji, Shimozawa, Dai, Fukuma, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): PEYTON, TAMMARA R
• Application Number:
  US11/140,002
• Publication Number:
  US 20050281138A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,971 Days
• Field of Search: 710/5, 710 8- 10, 710/62, 710/64, 710/72, 340/825.69, 340/825.72, 340/515, 340/734, 340/69, 340/79, 348/515, 348/734, 725/78, 725/133, 369/30.04
• US Class Current: 710/72
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/027 Remotely controlled remote control systems in general G08C

Abstract

An AV receiver 1 is connected to a DVD player AVP1 and a CD player AVP2 via an IEEE1394 bus. The AV receiver 1 stores a command receiving terminal 161 connected to a remote controller receiver RE1 as being associated with the DVD player AVP1, and a command receiving terminal 162 connected to a remote controller receiver RE2 as being associated with the CD player AVP2. The AV receiver 1 transmits a control command that is received via the remote controller receiver RE1 to the DVD player AVP1 and a control command that is received via the remote controller receiver RE2 to the CD player AVP2.

Claims

1. An amplifier, which can be connected to a plurality of content reproducing devices, the amplifier comprising:

a plurality of command receiving sections, connectable to a respective remote controller receiver installed in a respective room, for receiving controlled object identified commands for selecting a content reproducing device that is a controlled object, and play commands for causing the selected content reproducing device to play an audio data;

a plurality of audio receiving sections for receiving an audio data from the respective content reproducing devices;

a plurality of audio output sections for outputting the audio data received from the respective content reproducing devices to a respective speaker installed in a respective room;

a storing section for storing identified information of content reproducing devices connected to the amplifier while associating identified information of the command receiving sections and identified information of said audio output sections;

a first registering section for registering identified information of content reproducing devices connected to the amplifier to the storing section;

a second registering section for registering identified information of the content reproducing device selected based on the controlled object identified command among identified information of content reproducing devices registered in the storing section, to the storing section, while associating identified information of the command receiving section that has received the controlled object identified command and associating identified information of the audio output section associated with the command receiving section;

an identification section for identifying the content reproducing device and the audio output section associated with the command receiving section that has received the play command, based on the storing section;

a command transmitting section for transmitting the play command to the identified content reproducing device; and

an audio transmitting section for transmitting the audio data received from the respective identified content reproducing device from the respecitve identified audio output section to the respective speaker.

2. The amplifier according to claim 1, further comprising:

a plug connection determination section for determining whether or not a plug connection for isochronous data transfer has been established to the identified content reproducing device;

a connection determination section for, if the plug connection has not been established, determining whether or not a connection to the identified content reproducing device has been maintained;

the command transmitting section transmits the control command if the plug connection has been established or if the connection to the identified content reproducing device has been maintained.

3. The amplifier according to claim 1, wherein the amplifier can be connected to the plurality of content reproducing devices via an IEEE1394 bus, the amplifier further comprising:

a command storing section for storing an AV/C command corresponding to the control command;

a command determination section for determining whether or not the identified content reproducing device can operate based on the control command; and

a search section for, if the command determination section determines that the identified content reproducing device cannot operate based on the control command, searching for the AV/C command corresponding to the control command from the command storing section,

wherein if the search section finds the AV/C command, the command transmitting section transmits the AV/C command found by the search section.

4. The amplifier according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of selector sections to which one or more content reproducing devices selected from among the plurality of content reproducing devices are assigned, wherein the selected object storing section includes:

an assignment storing section for storing each pair of a selector section and a content reproducing device assigned to the selector section while the selector section and the content reproducing device are associated with each other;

a device location storing section for storing each pair of a command receiving section and a room accommodating a remote control command receiving section connected to the command receiving section while the command receiving section and the room are associated with each other; and

a controlled object storing section for storing each pair of a selector section and a room while the selector section and the room are associated with each other.

5. The amplifier according to claim 4, wherein the assignment storing section further stores data indicating whether or not a plug connection for isochronous data transfer is to be established.

6. The amplifier according to claim 4, wherein the selected object storing section further includes a plug connection storing section for, if a content reproducing device has established a plug connection for isochronous data transfer, storing the content reproducing device.

7. A computer program stored on a computer-readable storage medium for instructing a computer to perform an operation of an amplifier, which can be connected to a plurality of content reproducing devices and which includes:

a plurality of command receiving sections, connectable to a respective remote controller receiver installed in a respective room, for receiving controlled object identified commands for selecting a content reproducing device that is a controlled object, and play commands for causing the selected content reproducing device to play an audio data;

a plurality of audio receiving sections for receiving an audio data from the respective content reproducing devices; and

a plurality of audio output sections for outputting the audio data received from the respective content reproducing devices to a respective speaker installed in a respective room, the computer program comprising;

a storing step of storing identified information of content reproducing devices connected to the amplifier while associating identified information of the command receiving sections and identified information of said audio output sections;

a first registering step of registering identified information of content reproducing devices connected to the amplifier to the storing section;

a second registering step of registering identified information of the content reproducing device selected based on the controlled object identified command among identified information of content reproducing devices registered in the storing section, to the storing section, while associating identified information of the command receiving section that has received the controlled object identified command and associating identified information of the audio output section associated with the command receiving section;

an identification step of identifying the content reproducing device and the audio output section associated with the command receiving section that has received the play command, based on what has been stored in the storing step;

a command transmitting step of transmitting the play command to the identified content reproducing device; and

an audio transmitting step of transmitting the audio data received from the respective identified content reproducing device from the respecitve identified audio output section to the respective speaker.

8. The computer program according to claim 7, instructing the computer to further perform:

a plug connection determination step of determining whether or not a plug connection for isochronous data transfer has been established to the identified content reproducing device; and

a connection determination step of, if the plug connection has not been established, determining whether or not a connection to the identified content reproducing device has been maintained,

wherein the control command is transmitted in the command transmitting step if the plug connection has been established or if the connection to the identified content reproducing device has been maintained.

9. The computer program according to claim 7, wherein the amplifier can be connected to the plurality of content reproducing devices via an IEEE1394 bus and further includes a command storing section for storing an AV/C command corresponding to the control command, the computer program instructing the computer to further perform:

a command determination step of determining whether or not the identified content reproducing device can operate based on the control command; and

a search step of, if it is determined in the command determination step that the identified content reproducing device cannot operate based on the control command, searching for the AV/C command corresponding to the control command from the command storing section,

wherein if the AV/C command is found in the search step, the AV/C command found in the search step is transmitted in the command transmitting step.

10. The computer program according to claim 7, wherein the amplifier further includes a plurality of selector sections to which one or more content reproducing devices selected from among the plurality of content reproducing devices are assigned, wherein the selected object storing step includes:

an assignment storing step of storing each pair of a selector section and a content reproducing device assigned to the selector section while the selector section and the content reproducing device are associated with each other;

a device location storing step of storing each pair of a command receiving section and a room accommodating a remote control command receiving section connected to the command receiving section while the command receiving section and the room are associated with each other; and

a controlled object storing step of storing each pair of a selector section and a room while the selector section and the room are associated with each other.

11. The computer program according to claim 10, wherein data indicating whether or not a plug connection for isochronous data transfer is to be established is further stored in the assignment storing step.

12. The computer program according to claim 10, wherein the selected object storing step further includes a plug connection storing step of, if a content reproducing device has established a plug connection for isochronous data transfer, storing the content reproducing device.